We, the undersigned – researchers, activists and concerned citizens in various professional roles across the world – condemn without hesitation Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's declarations of intent of cataloguing Roma people in Italy. While the Minister has subsequently pointed out that no profiling but only a general collection of data will be carried out, we express serious concern about the Italian government's intentions and policies addressing minorities and foreigners.

Racism is a system of control as well as a specific way of understanding society as divided in more and less deserving populations. Targeting a specific group through any measure, including the collection of personal data, is likely to lead to racial and ethnic discrimination. Moreover, the social conditions of Roma people in Italy have extensively been researched and explained. Therefore, any inquiry that is not squarely grounded on already existing and long-term research suffers from intolerable biases.

We call upon the government, all political parties, and the civil society across Italy, Europe and the world, to remain vigilant against constant, deliberate as well as unintentional forms of discrimination and racism vis-à-vis any specific group in Italy and beyond.